Steam-heating pipe-connection for cars



J. EMERSON. STEAM HEATING PIPE CONNECTION FOR CARS. No. 372,303.

(No Model.)

Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

' vation of the coupling head and lever.

NrTEn STATES ATENT Fries.

JAMES EMERSON, OF WVILLIMANSETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM=HEATING PiPE-CONNECTION FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,303, dated November 1, 1887.

Application filed March 25', 1887. Serial No. 232,742. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES EMERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Villimansett, in the county of Hampdcn and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Heating Pipe-Gonnections for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for heating railway-cars by steam taken from the locomolive or other boiler on the train, and pertains to improvements in steam-pipe couplings or connections between cars so heated; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the said coupling-connections, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating a curved section of a railroad-track and portions of the adjoining ends of two cars on said track having applied thereto steam-pipe couplingconnections embodying my improvements. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of said connections. Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views illustrating detail parts hereinafter fully described. Fig. 6 is a front and Fig. 7 is a rear end ele- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of' portions of the ends of two cars and their. steainsuppl y pipes, illustrating a modified construction of the coupling-pipe shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The essential object of the peculiar coupling construction herein shown and described is to provide an improved coupling for the adjoining ends of the main steam-supply pipes between railway-cars through which steam is carried into suitable warming-pipes in the car, said coupling being so constructed as to permit of the usual limited movement of the cars from and toward each other and of the passage of the cars around a short curve on the track without derangement thereto, and all the while being maintained in such a position between the cars as prevents the formation in the coupling-pipe of any water-trap, whereby the free circulation of steam .isprevented, said improved coupling being so constructed that a free steam-circulation through it existsat all times.

In the drawings, A A, Fig. 1, indicate portions of the ends of two carson' a track, B, the latter being illustrated with a considerable curve, 5 in said figure illustrating the central metallic portion of the coupling between the ends of the steam supply pipes 2 of the cars, 3 indicating coupling heads screwed onto the ends of said steam-pipe, and 4 short lengths of flexible tubing.preferably of rubber, connected with said heads and with said metallic portion 5 of the coupling, said pipes 2 having their ends considerably inclined to bring the coupling-heads to a certain position, for a purpose'below described. The said coupling-head is illustrated in front and rear end views in Figs. 6 and 7 and in longitudinal section in Figs. 3 and 4E. Said head 3 is provided with a screw-shank, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby it is rigidly connected by a suitable coupling with the end of the steam-pipes 2 of the car, its opposite end being provided with a flange of somewhat oval form, as shown, in the periphery of which is fixed a sthp, 6, and at a point on said periphery is formed a stop-notch, d. Said head has a longitudinal steam-passage through it, as shown, and surrounding said passage is a groove of V shape in crosssection, as shownin Fig. 4, said groove being indicated in said figure by f. A lever, 7, is pivoted by one end to the face of said coupling-head 3 at w, and through said lever at the opposite edge of said head is placed a bolt, to, whose head 18 has a washer, 19, under it, which engages with the rear side of the head, a nut, 8, being placed on the opposite end of said bolt to screw against the side of said lever. When the lever 7 is swung to the position shown in Fig; 7, the bolt to causes the lever to come to a stop at the notch d, and when in that position the lever is secured by screwing saidnut 8 against it. .The stop 6 in the edge of the flange of the coupling-head serves to prevent the lever 7 from being swung completely over when lifted up, the bolt 10 in the lever. being brought against said stop when the lever has been carried upward as far as desired. A spring-latch, 9, is secured on the under edge of the lever 7 and over a recess therein, as shown, said latch serving the purpose of retaining the end of a chain, 10, in po- [cc sition on the lever, so that it may be drawn off by springing said latch. The chain 10, for

lifting the lever 7 by hand to disconnect the coupling pipe or pipes from thehead 3,has one end connected to the platform-rail of thecar but the principal purpose of said chain is to provide automatic meansin connection with either of the levers 7 of the coupling-heads between two cars for causing the steam-pipe connec tions between the pipes 2 to be disconnected in case the couplings between the ears break and the ears separate, thereby preventing any damage to said pipe-connections as a result of said breakage. Therefore the end of each steam-pipe 2 underthe platform of the car is in practice considerably inclined, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to bring the coupling-head 3 to such a position that the end of the lever 7 thereon to which the chain 10 is connected will swing toward the end of the platform of the adjoining car when it is swung out of engagement with the tube a, as below described. In said Fig. 2 the chain 10 is shown connected to the lover of the coupling-head and to the platform of the next car and extending about in the line of the vibratory movement of said lever, so that should the ear to which said chain is attached move away from the other the lever 7 would have its free end drawn upward to or beyond the position shown in Fig. 6, thereby freeing said tube v and permitting the end of the chain to be drawn off from the end of said lever. Vhen the tubular connection between the heads 3 embraces the tubes 0 and c as a part thereof, the said chain-connection between lever 7 and the next car is not required, for if a car-coupling breaks said tubes will draw apart.

The lever 7 is provided with a curved portion, as shown, whereby, when the head is attached to the couplingpipes, as below described, the said curvcd portion of the lever partly encircles the end of the tube which is directly connected with the head, said curved portion being brought to the position (under those circumstances) shown in Fig. 3.

The tubular coup]ing-conneetions between the heads 3 consist of two tubes, preferably of brass, c and c, the latter within the former and havinga free longitudinal movement. On the end of the tube 0 is attached, in any suitable manner, a packing-nut, 0. The said tubes 0 and 0, together with the nut 0, constitute what is commonly known as an expansionjoint connection, which provides for a free longitudinal movement of the two pipes c and 0, either simultaneously or separately, whereby they are elongated or shortened, and the nut 0, with suitable packing therein, bearing against the side of the tube 0 at the end of the tube 0, prevents the escape of steam at the slidingjoint of the pipes.

The aforesaid short lengths of flexible tubing 4 are secured, respectively, to the ends of the tubes 0 and c by a clamp-band, m, or other suitable means, and to the opposite ends of said tubes 4 are secured in like manner the metallic short tubes r, each having a collar, 5, on its free end. The collared end of the tube 1; is adapted to enter freely the said annular groove f in the face of the couplinghead 3, as shown in Fi 3, the short tubular portion 12 of said head between said groove f and the steam-passage through it being adapted to enter the end of the said tube 12, as shown in Fig. 3. The inner side of the end of the tube a, at x, which has a direct bearing against the outside of said tubular part 12 of the coupling-head, is tapered, as shown, to correspond with the tapered form of said tubular part 12, and said two conforming faces are ground to a steam-tight fit. The rear sideof the said collar .2 on the tube 1) is beveled, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, and the aforesa d curved part of the lever 7 engages with said beveled side a of collar :1 when it is brought to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 7, thereby forcing the faces 00 of the tube and y of the coupling-head tightly together. The engagement of the bolt 20, as above described, with the rear side of the flange on the head 3 and with the side of the lever 7 holds the latter firmly in position opposite the face of the coupling-head when the lever is swung down against the side a of the tube '0, as just de scribed, and when, as above described, the lever is operated by the parting of the cars.

The abovedescribed construction and the illustration thereof in the drawings clearly indicates the operation of the coupling devices. The ends of the tubes 12 being connected to the two coupling-heads 3 of two steam-pipeson two separate cars, the pipes c and 0 having the above-described sliding connection one with the other, permit the coupling-tubes between the cars to be extended and shortened according to the movement of the cars toward and from each other without disturbance to the free passage of steam therethrough, and the flexible tubular connections at between the said pipes c and c and the tubes 2) permit the eouplingtubes to assume any requisite curved position that may be necessary to avoid any strain upon the connections when the cars are passing around a curve in the track 13, as illustrated in Fi 1. The ends of the coupling-tubes are disconnected from the heads 3 by simply lifting lever 7 to the position shown in Fig. 6, and when the tube 0 is to be recoupled to the head the end thereof is placed in the annular groove f, and the lever 7 is carried to the position shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification of the construction of the intermediate tubular connections between the coupling-heads 3, said modilication consisting of a suitable rubber pipe,

h, having attached to each end thereof the above-described tubes v,'for connection with the heads, as described. The tube h provides a steam connection between the supply-pipes 2 practically the same as is provided by the tubes 0 and a.

With proper couplings between the cars, whereby the ends of the platforms are maintained at substantially a determined distance apart, as in the Miller platform and coupling,

the pipe h, together with the said tubes '1) and the couplingheads 3, constitute, steam-pipe connections capable of substantially the same functions as those illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

What I claim as niyinvention is- 1. Thewithin-described steamheatingpipeconnections for cars, consisting of a couplinghead, as 3, attached to the end of the steampipe having the tube 12, surrounding one end .of the steam-passage therethrough, and the lever 7, pivoted thereto, capable ofa vibratory movement thereon at right angles to the end of said tube, combined with the tube 1;, into one end of which said tube enters, having a collar thereon, as 2, with-which said lever engages, and a suitable tubular connection'between said tube 0 and a like tube and couplinghead on an adjoining car, substantially as set forth.

2. Thezcoupling-head,as 3, adapted to be secured to the end of a steam-pipe, substantially as described, having the tube 12 thereon, exteriorly tapered, the tube 1;, having one end fitting the said tapered end of the tube 12, and a collar, as z, thereon, having its rearside beveled, combined with the lever 7, pivoted to said head and having a curve therein which partially encircles said tube 1) and bears pered tube 12 thereon, the tube 1), having one.

end fitting the said tapered end of the tube 12, and a collar, as z, thereon, having its rear I side beveled, combined with the lever 7, pivoted to said head, having a curve therein partially encircling said tube '0 and engaging with the beveled side of said collar 2, and the bolt w therein, capable of engagement with the border of said head, substantially as set forth.

4. The metallietubes e and 0, the latter entering and having a free longitudinal movement in the former, and the tubes 4;, attached to the ends of said tubes e and c by flexible tubes 4, each having the collar 2 thereon, combined with the coupling-heads 3, each having a tube, as 12, thereon, entering the said tubes 1;, and a lever, as 7, pivoted thereto, capable of engaging with said collars, substantially as set forth.

JAMES EMERSON. 

